Russia Imported Iranian Drones That Malfunction in Battle

[Eugene]

Source: Popular Mechanics

Russia Imported Iranian Drones That Malfunction in Battle

Moscow has reportedly lost nearly 1,000 drones in six months of war, forcing it to import Iranian drones.

BY KYLE MIZOKAMI
SEP 7, 2022

Russia’s first shipment of Iranian military drones is a mixed bag, with some of the drones malfunctioning just weeks after delivery. The drones were pressed into service after heavy losses depleted Moscow’s own fleet. The deal underscores how vital Russia believes drones to be in modern warfare—and how far it’s willing to go to gain its battlefield drone capabilities back.

At the start of the war, Russia had a formidable drone arsenal. Drones were a key part of the Russian Ground Forces’ “reconnaissance-strike complex” doctrine, which calls for drones to quickly find targets for artillery strikes. The Russian arsenal includes low-altitude intelligence/surveillance/reconnaissance drones like the Orlan-10, Orlan-30, and Zastava, and larger medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) reconnaissance drones such as Forpost-R and Orion.

Six months of war has ground the arsenal down. An independent study of images of Russian equipment losses has concluded the military has lost at least 5,362 tanks, aircraft, armored vehicles, howitzers, trucks, and drones, including 120 military drones. The Ukrainian military goes even further, claiming it has destroyed 847 drones. The life of a drone is hazardous and short, with drones typically sent to places deemed too risky for humans. They’re typically lost through air defense fire, small arms fire, operator error, and accidental crashes. Drones are often considered “semi-attritable,” meaning armies expect to lose them at a higher rate than crewed aircraft as the price of doing business.

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Read more: https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/aviation/a41042947/russia-imports-iranian-drones/

[Jilly_in_VA]

1. Now I hear

that they're buying North Korean weapons. Think those will be any better?

[Irish_Dem]

2. Yes the NK drones are of questionable quality and may not help Russians much.

[cbabe]

3. Careful mocking unprepared military.

https://www.pbs.org › newshour › show › troops-question-secretary-of-defense-donald-rumsfeld-about-armor

Troops Question Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld about Armor

The military uses armor plating and ballistic glass to bolster lighter vehicles against the Iraqi insurgents' weapon of choice, the roadside bomb, or IED- Improvised Explosive Device- in...

[Jilly_in_VA]

5. My son was there

It was some of his boys scavenging dumpsites to "hillbilly armor" their vehicles. Do not make fun of them. You can, however, make all the fun of Rummy that you want. We are proud that it was a Tennessee National Guardsman who asked the question that brought him down!

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

4. Heckuva job Pooty Poot